5 Solid Buy Candidates for 2012

The five stocks which I have chosen to analyze in this article are in my opinion some of the best investment options at the moment. They are all popular stocks and offer high yield with lower risks. They are stable organizations and have been doing well over the years. These five stocks are:

General Motors (NYSE:GM): This stock is currently trading at a price close to $27 per share. The price has increased during this quarter and experts predict that it might continue to do so. The 52-week trading range is between $19 and $34 per share approximately. Market capitalization at this price is almost $47 billion and the average trading volume is more than 12 million. Earnings per share (EPS) are close to $5 and the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is close to 6. There are approximately 2 billion shares outstanding in the market and the debt-equity ratio is 0.35. This indicates that the company is stable and the debt is well managed.

The stock is not very risky either. Experts have suggested that it would be a good option to buy this stock right now. Income and sales are growing at a steady pace and they feel that investors will be able to make healthy profits. It is being reported that the sales of cars are starting to rise once again after experiencing a dip during the global financial crisis. This will obviously have a positive impact on stock prices of automakers like General Motors. GM would be a good stock to buy because there is a lot of potential for high returns. As the market starts to stabilize once again, the stock prices will rise and investors will be able to make significant profits.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS): The current trading price of this stock is close to $39 per share. The price is fluctuating between the 52-week trading range of $34 and $41 per share approximately. According to popular expert opinion, this trend might continue for a while. Market capitalization at this price is nearly $26 billion and the average trading volume is almost 4 million. Earnings per share (EPS) are more than $2 and the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is above 16. Dividend yield is higher than 3% and the last dividend paid by the company to stockholders was 34 cents per share. There are approximately 645 million shares outstanding in the market. The debt-equity ratio is close to 1.2 and the beta is calculated at 0.18. This signifies that the stock is a safe investment and the debt is not very high so the company is relatively stable. Income and sales are growing steadily while the profit margin is close to 10%. Experts suggest that this would be a good investment option. Recent reports have indicated that this company is fundamentally strong and has potential to offer significant returns this year. It is being said that General Mills will be launching 50 new products by the third and fourth quarters of 2012. This in turn will increase their competitive edge and help them widen their competitive mode. I believe that this stock is a viable option to invest in. It offers returns with low risk and there is potential for future growth as well.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT): This stock is currently trading at a price just above $56 per share. This price is fluctuating between the 52-week trading range of $46 and $57 per share approximately. Market capitalization is close to $86 billion and the average trading volume is more than 7 million based on this price. Earnings per share (EPS) are $3 and price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is nearly 19. The last dividend paid to stockholders was 51c per share and the yield is close to 4%. Beta for this stock is calculated to be 0.30 which indicates that it is a relatively safer investment option. It is not volatile and offers steadier returns. Net profit margin is almost 12% and there are positive trends being seen in income and sales growth.

The industry experts and analysts have given this stock a rating of 9 and suggest that investors should hold on to it for now. It is categorized as one of the most stable and high yielding stocks in the market right now. This stock has the potential to offer even higher returns in future and would be a good investment option. It is stable and secure so it will help to minimize the risk factors in a diversified portfolio.

Accenture Plc (CAN): The current trading price of this stock is more than $59 per share. It has been fluctuating between the 52-week trading range of $47 and $64 per share approximately. It is being predicted that these trends might continue. Market capitalization is close to $81 billion and the average trading volume is above 4 million based on this price. Earnings per share (EPS) are more than $3 and the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is close to 17. Dividend yield is above 2% and the last dividend paid to stockholders was 68c per share. There are approximately 707 million shares outstanding in the market right now. Debt is significantly low and the beta is calculated to be 0.80. This indicates that the company is quite stable and the stock is a safe investment. Sales and income are growing at steady rates and the profit margins are close to 10%. Experts suggest that investors looking for steady returns should consider buying this stock. Recent reports from the market have highlighted that business services stocks are extremely helpful in managing a diversified portfolio. This stock is stable and has grown steadily over the years. I believe that investors should consider it as a safe and secure investment option which offers significant yields as well. Therefore, I would advise investors to incorporate it into their portfolios.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO): This stock is currently trading at almost $30 per share. The 52-week trading range is between $23 and $31 per share approximately. Experts and analysts suggest that it will keep fluctuating within this range for some time. Market capitalization at this price is more than $60 billion and the average trading volume is close to 12 million. Earnings per share (EPS) are nearly $2 and the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is 18. The last dividend paid by the company to its stockholders was 41 cents per share and the dividend yield is above 5%. There are more than 2 billion shares outstanding in the market right now. Beta for this stock is calculated to be 0.41 which means that the stock is not volatile and is relatively safer. Net profit margins are more than 14% and experts have advised investors to hold this stock if they have already invested in it. It is one of the five stocks with high dividend yields owned by most industry experts. This stock would be a viable investment option because it has significantly low risk and at the same time has one of the highest dividend yields. It will definitely be a good option to go for in developing a diversified portfolio.

About the author:

Dividend King

I am primarily an investor interested in creating passive income streams through dividends. I focus on finding and analyzing dividend paying stocks, MLPs and REITs that are a good fit for income investors.

I practice Judaism and my faith is very important to me. I visit family in Israel once a year, but I am educated and work in the United States where I hold an MBA and a bachelor’s in English. I am a patient man, enjoy wine but am not a connoisseur, and I listen more than I speak.

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